For example, many departments employ de-escalation tactics that aim to reduce use of force. Officers genuinely care about making a positive impact in their community. Police officers work long hours, often with irregular shifts, including night shifts. Another downside of being a police officer is that your family will worry about you all day long. This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. Police work can affect or sway our behavior to a greater degree of positivity, too. Especially if this case is revealed in public, chances are that there will be huge shitstorms on social media and the pressure to fire you will be enormous. Policing is a very dangerous job. Educated law enforcement professionals will be better equipped to lead much-needed reform efforts. Police Subculture Overview & Examples | What is Police Subculture? Protecting the community and being on the front lines takes an emotional toll. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. If you dont get any support from the right influential people, your chances of making it to the top will be almost zero. Now that you know all the pros and cons of being a police officer, it is on you to decide whether you still want to become a policeman or if you want to go for an alternative career path instead. There are various reasons why the use of police discretion is a positive aspect of a police officer's position. In murder cases, an aggravating factor might include whether the defendant committed the crime in an especially heinous, cruel, or depraved manner. At the beginning of your career, you will likely be rather intimidated and insecure regarding how to handle difficult situations. You can also work in many different departments. A lock ( In fact, policemen are at much higher risk to suffer from mental problems since they have to deal with so many conflicts and also see so many bad things during their active careers. If anything does go bad, they are here, a Grade 9. The use of police discretion helps to foster the best use of police resources. In turn, you can improve the quality of life of many people and can help them out in difficult periods of their lives. While this can be quite annoying and emotionally challenging, you will also learn how to keep your emotions under control and how to react to difficult situations. You will have to pass many different tests and many people fail those tests. Police culture is full of many coping skills and personality transformations. The definition of especially heinous, however, is left up to the prosecutor's discretion. No matter which way you personally feel about the subject, the police must be sure not to cross the 'thin blue line' when it comes to utilizing police discretion. Police officers can keep their neighborhoods safe, Police officers get high levels of responsibility, Plenty of different fields you can work in, You learn how to deal with difficult people, Police officers get action on a regular basis, You will become really good friends with your colleagues, Most police officers have a high fitness level, Police officers can retire relatively early, Many people have lost respect for the police, You can lose your job due to one big mistake, Being a police officer is not the safest job, Police officers have to work at nighttime, Many police officers suffer from sleeping problems, Some police officers cant deal with events from the past, Especially problematic if you have to work in bad neighborhoods, Police officers have to deal with plenty of paperwork, Top 10 Being a Policeman Pros & Cons Summary List, salary, prospects, future outlook, educational requirements, duties, responsibilities, work-life balance and job satisfaction of police officers, 10 Smart Things To Do After Failing An Art Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing An Economics Degree, 18 Things To Do After Failing Your Communication Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Education Degree, 19 Things To Do After Failing Your Engineering Degree, 19 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Biology Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Psychology Degree, 18 Smart Things To Do After Failing Your Business Degree, 33 Key Pros & Cons Of Being A Casino Dealer, 31 Key Pros & Cons Of Being An Underwriter, 30 Noble Pros & Cons Of Working For A Hedge Fund, 32 Nerdy Pros & Cons Of Being A Data Scientist, 31 Key Pros & Cons Of Being A Loan Officer. and manufacturers. Since enough sleep is crucial for our body and our brain to work properly, sleep deprivation can lead to many serious health issues and also significantly decreases overall quality of life. Now let's look at another example. Since there will always be people who dont comply with the law, police officers will always be needed and your future job prospects will be quite decent. Territories Financial Support Center (TFSC), Tribal Financial Management Center (TFMC). It is awkward at times, but we think we are funny. Great! 551 lessons. This can be rather unclear in many situations and one mistake in this regard can even cost your life. Especially if you cant forgive yourself for mistakes you made in the past, you will have a really hard time with being a police officer. Quite often, you will see families breaking apart and you will also see the worst of humanity. Being a police officer also doesnt mean that you have to stay in the field you began your career in. My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues. Police officers toe the thin blue line, the line between lawfulness and illegal acts. If your colleagues make mistakes, you could potentially lose your life. Webnational police and troopers association; Community. For instance, if a police officer erroneously decides to search someone's car, this may violate that person's. In fact, shifts of police officers can be quite long and depending on what happens in your district, you will have to work long hours and will come home exhausted. If you are looking for a fast-paced, exciting career that will allow you to make a difference in your community, you may enjoy being a police officer. Law enforcement is ever-evolving, and so is the person occupying the uniform. You Hence, make sure that your career is worth all this emotional stress to you before becoming a police officer. As a police officer, you will also have to deal with many difficult family problems and you will generally see the worst of humanity. There are occasions when our friends or family want us to share our darkest moments, but we usually leave them contained. Imagine a world without police. In this case, police are given discretion, or freedom to decide, on the job to make decisions, but there is a 'thin blue line' that the police cannot cross or they will be in violation of the law. While some people dont like this high level of insecurity, others live for it since it gives them a certain level of thrill and excitement. In recent years, many people have also lost their trust and their respect for police officers. Community policing and problem-oriented policing require problem solving and creative thinking skills that the college experience helps develop. She has tutored English and History, as well as STEM classes, such as Statics, Calculus, and Thermodynamics. He draws his weapon and orders the suspect to freeze. Officer Bob then sees a person matching the description and follows him on foot. In the long run, this can lead to serious health issues since constant stress is just not good for us. After finishing university, I traveled around the world. If you are still not sure yet, you may have some friends who are police officers and can give you some additional information on this topic. It's not a lame assignment or a job for a cop looking for a cushy job With this knowledge, it can be pretty hard to make rational decisions and you may even have to take away the lives of people on some occasions to protect yourself. Many police officers just have a hard time dealing with this fact and try to suppress it. Almost 90% said they had come to understand the community, which they believed would serve them in their criminal justice careers. Hence, dont think that your job as a police officer is entirely safe. Once the jury uses their discretion to render a verdict, the judge may use their discretion in sentencing. 7. Consequently, those wrong decisions can really break you in the long run since you will know that a better choice of you could have saved lives and many police officers simply cant deal with those things in an emotionally proper manner. In any establishment, we choose the seat with our backs to the wall and a view of the entire place. Others think police officers are mean, uncaring snitches who simply arrest people and hand out traffic tickets. The suspect obeys, and Officer Bob makes an arrest. No day will be like the past one and you will always have to adjust your expectations. While police officers can make a decent salary in many states, they will simply not make as much money as a doctor or a lawyer. Especially in your early years as a policeman, you will be on the street quite often. There are advantages and disadvantages of police discretion, just like there are pros and cons of being a cop. What makes us this way? Police officers keep our streets safe and resolve conflicts between people on a daily basis. Police1 is revolutionizing the way the law enforcement community Discretion allows officers to quickly judge a situation, determine what is going on, identify the legal statute that pertains to the case, and interpret that statute. Thus, if you have those ambitions, make sure that you connect to the right people and do your job extraordinarily well. This can be rather annoying, especially if you have a family and dont know how to manage your private life since you often dont know the exact hours of your shift. In fact, there are countless career opportunities out there and you should just choose the one that seems to be right for you. Discretion in criminal justice is present at all levels of the system and in its bureaucracies. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_19',189,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');Another upside of becoming a police officer is that you will really learn how to deal with many different kinds of people. A study of officer-involved shootings from 1990 to 2004 found that college-educated police officers were almost 30% less likely to fire their weapons in the line of duty. You still want to become a police officer? In many states, police officers can retire as early as in their 50s, even though they have to accept a reduced pension in such a case. A 'thin blue line' also exists with police discretion. You may not only lose your job, you may even have to pay high fines and this could ruin you also from a financial perspective. I feel like its a lifeline. It requires hours of sitting and driving, which can cause weight issues and other health concerns. As researchers who specialize in crime and punishment, we see five reasons why police officers should be encouraged to pursue a college degree. However, in reality, there are also many downsides related to this job. Research has also shown that police officers themselves recognize the value of a college degree. By far, the residual payoffs outweigh the bad. Additionally, there are those who argue that the use of police discretion can potentially result in a violation of one's Fourth Amendment rights. The 2015 task force recommended community and problem-oriented policing strategies as ways to strengthen police-community relations and better respond to crime and other social problems. 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